Formal designs for the $2.7 million second phase of the West Buchanan Street in Washington will soon be put on paper. At Tuesday’s Washington City Council meeting, an engineering services agreement with Jack Pope of Garden & Associates for $235,000 was approved.

City Administrator Brent Hinson explained what people can expect, “I feel very confident we’re going to get a great product here on West Buchanan. As you can see from the design, the concept we’ve got a boulevard concept essentially past kind of the current Elm Grove and everything that’s going to be Elm Grove in the future. So I think that’s going to be really pleasant and also help us reduce speeds through that area. And just really make a neat entrance to town.” Currently, West Buchanan can only be accessed from Highway 1 to enter the new business park. This will open the street all the way from Highway 1 to South Avenue E just south of the high school.

Hinson said the design is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The project is estimated to cost $2.7 million with over $2 million in federal aid earmarked for the project, along with quarterly Washington County Riverboat Foundation funds that have been set aside for the work.